Tears of sorrow

  I've not posted for a long time and I've been absent from SL. I hope to change both of those things. My apologies to those who feel neglected.  I've missed my friends and exploring.
 
Don't read past the picture, if it bothers you to read things that don't pertain to SL.

  Last week, I learned of my uncle's death.  My tears started before the phone call ended. I had to know... Why was I crying for a person that was a source of frustration, pain, anguish in my life?  Oh, the stories I could tell...  But I won't dwell on those right now.  I can simply say I was curious about him at first. Eventually, over the years of exposure, my thoughts changed to disdain for this man, which turned to pity and sometimes compassion within our long time of knowing each other.  This tumultuous relationship of ours is significant to who I am today. I believe, the people who are in our lives leave marks into our soul.  The experiences both good and bad alter the thought process and reactions we have.
  After some research, I found that ... Scientists studying tears of emotion have detected a chemical that cannot be found in tears from irritants - it seems that simply by weeping we produce tiny amounts of a natural painkiller [leucine enkephalin] that hits receptors in the brain and, in turn, dulls our pain.
  So according to my brain... I did love my uncle, even if he was a bigoted, condescending, manipulative miser of a human. Our bodies have internal defenses to protect us from ourselves.  I was crying because my brain knew I needed to cry, even if I was not cognizant.